South Island Kokako Investigation Team

A new search for a native bird that has been
‘missing in action’ for more than 30 years is to get
underway in October.

If successful, the ‘Kokako 2000’
campaign will confirm the continued existence of the South
Island kokako, a forest bird that has not been officially
recorded since the 1960s.

The search for the South Island
kokako will be led by nationally-recognised wildlife
ecologist Rhys Buckingham, and is being jointly funded by
Nelson mail-order company, Maruia Nature Catalogue, and
environmental lobby group, Ecologic
Foundation.

Christchurch outdoor clothing manufacturer
Earth Sea Sky and the Department of Conservation are
providing logistic support, and private donations have also
been received.

The South Island kokako was once one of New
Zealand’s most distinctive songbirds, with a call that has
variously been described as haunting and unforgettable. It
is a distinct sub-species from the North Island kokako,
which is being actively managed by the Department of
Conservation to ensure its recovery.

Persistent reports of
unusual calls, occasional sightings and the discovery of
feathers have all contributed to the belief that the bird
survives in remote areas of the South Island or southern
Stewart Island. However, any remaining birds are probably
ageing males living in isolated populations, as females are
more prone to predation from stoats and possums.

“This
year’s Kokako 2000 campaign will be the first concerted
search since 1996 and has the funding and commitment to
provide new information on this elusive species,” said
Buckingham.

The campaign will begin in Kahurangi National
Park in October and proceed through parts of Nelson Lakes,
Canterbury, Buller, Westland and Fiordland until
January.

The searches will be conducted by small teams of
field workers, traversing forested areas on foot with video
and audio recording equipment. Success will come through
either photographic evidence or the discovery of a feather
that can be linked to the species by genetic
analysis.

“While this sounds straightforward, we know the
kokako is an elusive bird that calls only occasionally and
appears to deliberately hide when disturbed,” said
Buckingham. “Locating the few isolated birds that may remain
is becoming progressively harder.”

Managing director of
the Maruia Nature Catalogue, Ben Van Dyke, said his company
had decided to sponsor the search out of a shared
environmental concern for the species.

“We cannot let this
bird slip quietly into extinction while New Zealanders stand
by doing nothing,” he said. “The fate of the South Island
kokako is in the hands of the community, and we want to do
our bit to ensure it has a future in the new
millennium.”

Executive director of the Ecologic
Foundation, Guy Salmon, said the quest for the South Island
kokako was a touchstone for New Zealand’s environmental
commitment.

“The sad tale of the South Island kokako
mirrors the larger fate of the South Island’s beech
forests,” he said. “The native biodiversity of these
magnificent forests faces an eventual demise in the face of
introduced predators such as possums and stoats, unless we
embrace intensive pest control.”

“The Kokako 2000 campaign
illustrates precisely why we should care for our ecological
future, and we hope will stand as a rallying point for a
larger environmental commitment.”

Managing director of
Earth Sea Sky, David Ellis, said his company was supplying
the searchers with a video camera and clothing as a mark of
faith in Buckingham and his team. “We see it as a vote of
confidence in the campaign, and hope we can contribute
positively to the possible rediscovery of this
species.”

New Zealanders will be able to follow progress
in the search via the Internet, at www.nznature.co.nz.

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